Kobo is going to be releasing a new e-reader sometime in the next couple of months. They attained FCC certification back in February and had plans to unveil the final product earlier, but due to component shortages, this never happened. The company plans on announcing the Kobo Clara 2, which is a second generation model to their mega popular 300 PPI ebook reader.
The Kobo Clara HD 2 will feature a six inch E INK Carta 1200 display panel, which will increase page turn speed and overall performance of the reader. It will have a 300 PPI screen and have a front-lit display and candlelight color temperature system. One thing that is very interesting about this model, is that it will be the first e-reader in the world to employ the new E Ink ComfortGaze, a new front light technology that reduces the amount of blue light, with a reduced Blue Light Ratio (BLR) and Blue Light Toxicity Factor (BLTF) by up to 60% and 24% respectively. BLR is the ratio of toxic blue to total blue light output, and BLTF is the ratio of brightness to hazardous blue.
The full specs are not available yet, but I do know that it will have 16GB of internal storage and will have a new USB-C port for transferring data to the reader and also for charging. Bluetooth will be available and this means that users will be able to buy and listen to audiobooks with a pair of wireless headphones or earbuds. It will also be waterproof, so you will be able to use it in the bathtub or the beach. Kobo is going to be really promoting the construction material, which is made of 100% recycled plastic. You should get around two to three weeks of usage out of it, due to the 1500 mAh battery. The weight is 171 Gram and it is listed on a Dutch site for €149,00 which is a little bit more expensive than the existing Clara HD, which came out in 2018.
When the full specs are available, we will be publishing a dedicated post and adding in new content here.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.